Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone is a book that seamlessly ties the harsh realities of obsessive-compulsive disorder (O.C.D.) and a touching love story together, creating a space that defies the prejudices around mental illness.
In this book, the main character, Samantha, navigates the struggle of masking her severe case of O.C.D, while also being a high school student. Throughout the majority of the book, she dodges plans by her friend group, the Crazy 8’s, in order to hide her mental illness from them and their highly popular social circle. In doing this, Samantha discovers a new and inviting group of friends in a hidden room in their high school theater. This secret room, Poet’s Corner, allows Samantha to express her rooted emotions and struggles with O.C.D. without feeling judged or repressed. She finds new friends, and more importantly, a new identity in the sense that she no longer feels the need to hide a part of herself. Sammantha also discovers a passion for writing poetry, which serves as a new method to improve the troubling thoughts that come with her mental illness. One of her new friends, Caroline, works with Samantha on channeling her anxious tendencies into her poetry.
In Poet’s Corner, Samantha also meets AJ, a guitar player and poet. Sammantha and AJ become friends over their shared interest for poetry and writing, but they soon develop deeper feelings for each other as the book progresses. Samantha finds that she cannot bring herself to be honest with AJ about her challenges with O.C.D, in fear that he may form different opinions about the person she is. Her driving fear throughout the book is the idea of being viewed as “crazy”, a label often given to those who struggle with O.C.D. Caroline becomes a shoulder for Samantha to lean on, coaching her through her feelings and helping her to find the courage to become more open about her mental illness.
As Samantha’s life as a high school student simmers down to a less-anxious version than seen earlier in the book, she begins to see less of Caroline. A twist in the storyline explains that Caroline is not the ordinary high schooler that Samantha believed she had been. Instead, in a confused conversation with AJ, it is revealed that Caroline died of suicide many years ago, and that she had been finding the comfort of friendship in a ghost all along. This realization creates a turning point in the book, as Samantha begins to understand that in reality, she had been capable of finding new friends on her own. She discovers a new hope for herself and her journey with O.C.D, with new friends and a new boyfriend by her side to support her along the way.
This book did an excellent job at highlighting the unseen challenges of mental illnesses and the idea that the lives of those with O.C.D. should not be labeled as “crazy” or “different”. Tamara Stone was able to articulate this through the life of Samantha, and in the process, created a book that many can relate to.
